Kaitlyn Dever to portray Abby's emotional journey in The Last Of Us Season 2 & here's what the star said

HBO's The Last of Us will kick off its sophomore season on April 13. The show, which debuted in 2023, is based on a post-apocalyptic video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog.

Season 2 will see the main cast, which includes Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, return. Actress Kaitlyn Dever was also cast as Abby in the sophomore season.

Abby, who first appeared in the video game The Last of Us Part II, is an important and complicated character who is driven by vengeance against Pascal's Joel after he murdered him while breaking Ramsey's Ellie from the hospital.

While Abby is a central antagonist in the video game, she is driven by immense grief and the pain of losing her father, which Dever will aptly portray in the upcoming chapter.

More on Dever's approach to Abby in The Last of Us Season 2 in our story.

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Kaitlyn Dever opens up on her role in The Last of Us Season 2

Abby is one of the most complicated and important characters in The Last of Us Season 2 and there have been many controversies and backlash around Dever's casting in the role.

Since Abby is a complex character with an emotional backstory, Dever recently discussed how her main focus while portraying the character was to capture her emotional journey (via Deadline):

''I wanted to make sure that the emotional journey that she has been through for the last five years was really shown. And there are only a few moments that I had the opportunity to do that but I really wanted to make sure that her grief and how broken she is as a human being was really important to me.''

While Abby is the primary antagonist to Ellie in at least the first half of the video game's sequel, she is a very layered character because of her driving force, i.e., her vengeance against Joel.

In another interview with Screen Rant, Dever discussed how she is approaching the character, which is already well-established in video games:

''But my main focus was...making sure I was really getting to the core of who she is and what drives her and her emotional state; her anger and her frustration and her grief and all of that. I wanted to make sure that that was what I was focusing most of my energy on.''

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Dever's casting in The Last of Us Season 2 received backlash

While Dever has repeatedly proven her acting caliber with projects like Dopesick, Unbelievable, and most recently, Apple Cider Vinegar, fans were disappointed by her casting as Abby in The Last of Us Season 2 because she does not fit the physical appearance.

Any video game adaptation would have to make changes for a small screen adaptation; fans backlashed Dever's casting because she was essentially more muscular and had a fighter body in the video game, while Dever has a petite frame. But many fans, like Reddit user, u/Y0U_ARE_ILL, believe that her acting prowess would overpower her physical appearance:

''I don't dislike her as an actress. I just didn't think she had the correct look for the part. Not that she didn't have the chops for it. I still think the show was done really well, and will be watching the second season as it releases.''

In a Screen Rant interview, showrunner, Craig Mazin teased some major changes in Season 2, which video game fans would not see coming. Abby's character could also be one of them, and it would be interesting to see how the show will handle her complicated arc in the upcoming season.

The Last of Us Season 2 will premiere on HBO on April 13, 2025.

Also Read: HBO reveals the new character posters for The Last Of Us Season 2

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